Mary and the Snake

Yesterday was my soon-to-be 5 year old son's kindergarten roundup at the Catholic school in town. Many of the kids that will be going there are in his preschool class this year, so he was surrounded by familiar faces. I went to pick him up and he went into the coat room by himself, found his coat, and attempted to put it on by himself. He's growing up so fast!

Then, as we walked towards the doors to leave, he stopped in front of the statue of Mary in the entry. As he looked up at the large statue, I asked him who it was. And, of course, he knew it and said, "Mary" so matter-of-factly. Then, he walked closer and touched the snake in the statue that was slithering at Mary's feet. The school principal walked by, noticed my son's interest in the snake, and said that many kids ask about the snake.

Hmmmm... I never noticed the snake in this Mary statue before, although I've walked by this statue many times before. This really caught my interest, too.

Genesis 3:14-15
Then the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel."

Love Thy Enemy?!

Sunday's homily at our church was on the gospel lesson of "loving your enemy" and our priest made me think a bit more on this concept. He asked how many of us go around saying "I have no enemies"? How many of us go around and say we get along with so and so, and if there's any issues with them that we do not confront it and just go on with life? How many of us deny the existence of our enemies because we think we are doing the right thing then?

Jesus said, "love your enemy." It is difficult to love our enemies and do as Jesus commands in the scripture if our enemy doesn't exist in our minds. Jesus did not command us to change our enemies into our friends. In life we will have enemies, and we cannot change our enemies into our friends. They will be our enemies, and we have to accept that. Not change it.

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" (Matthew 5:43-47)

In effect, to change our relationship with our enemies to think they are friends is to change our view of our enemy just in our own mind. It seems this type of conversion is not what Jesus had in mind. No, the more I consider these thoughts the more I believe that I have been fooling myself in many situations and in the end becoming a victim because I had changed the relationship with an enemy in my mind to a friend and making myself more vulnerable to them.

Enemies are enemies, and likely will not make a conversion to a friend, regardless how kind and courteous we are to them. And we should not beat ourselves up because they have not given any kindness in return, because it is not love that is the issue. It is the lack of love in our enemies that created them, and until they decide to truly accept it and share it, they will not have it.

We must be constantly at guard with our enemies, even if they show gestures of friendship. That is the point we are most vulnerable and the point where their enemy colors can shine. I, myself, have learned this the hard way. I now know that when I spot an enemy in my midst that I love my enemy, and accept them as my enemy.

The final word: An enemy is not a friend. Ever. Love your enemy.

Pope's Turkey Visit is This Week!

Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Turkey is this week! Apparently, the article I read from last week made it sound like it was to happen last week, which, of course, it didn't. I was just one week ahead of the times.

Or maybe the Vatican has decided to postpone the trip to this week, as many of the media spinners and satirical news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report had the week of Thanksgiving off to truly enjoy some turkey. Good thing, because all the talk this week will be about what to do with that leftover turkey.

Speaking of leftover turkey, the pope's visit to Turkey will likely not be a leftover affair. And hopefully, Pope Benedict XVI will not use leftover remarks during his speeches in Turkey, as he did several months ago during his German lecture that sparked the Muslim controversy with the pontiff. (Just because the pope quoted from an old byzantine saint that claimed Islam was a violent religion, doesn't mean that Muslim need to prove it, does it??)

After reading stories about this historic visit, I realize that this visit has more to do with the future of Turkey, than the remarks the pope will make. Sure, each word that the pope speaks in this Muslim country is going to be scrutinized to pieces, but this visit is bigger than that. It is going to deal with differences between what the pope represents and the Muslim people. Look at it this way, Turkey has more to lose than the pope if this visit goes down horribly.

So, it's going to be all about differences in ideals and religion, right? It's more than just those basic issues. It's about civilization. Western civilization vs. Eastern civilization, specifically. Right now, Turkey is vying to become a part of the European Union (EU). Turkey officials apparently feel that it would be advantageous for them to be a part of this economic union.

However, to connect with the EU, Turkey would be connecting with predominantly Christian countries. Not only are they Christian, but they are a part of Western civilization, a culture that most Muslims would consider repulsive. It is a clash of cultures.

Beyond the clash, it is about Turkey's past, present and future. Turkey is a historically pivotal country between Western and Eastern civilizations. Turkey is where Christianity saw its rise into prominence with mandated state and country religion, thanks to Emperor Constantine, and it is this role that changed Rome's stance from burning Christians to embracing them. It was at this point in history that Turkey (Byzantine Empire) affected both Eastern and Western civilizations.

Then, Turkey's Byzantine traditions were taken over by the Ottoman empire and changed from Christianity to Islam. Another pivotal moment for Turkey, as Constantinople changed to Istanbul and the Haghia Sophia, Church of Holy Wisdom, was converted to a mosque with minarets and all (and within the last century has been restored and is now a public museum).

Turkey is now facing another pivotal moment. On one side, there's the East with primarily Muslim belief, culture and government states. They offer Turkey their traditions and views of proper Muslim societies, along with isolated cells of muslim extremists. On the other side, is the West, with their free-thinkers, Christian fundamentalists, and (perspectively corrupt) capitalist (and some socialist) countries with their advanced technologies and crazy middle classes.

My personal hope is that the pope sees this visit like a good samaritan. I also hope that Muslims in Turkey will show and prove to the pope that their beliefs are not about violence. Non-violent, peaceful acts can go a long way to prove a point of non-violence. I also hope that Turkey's decision is what truly is best for its country considering their prospects with the EU and working with both Western and Eastern neighbors.

Last thoughts:
I do hope that the pope can enjoy Turkey this week. And I do hope that Turkey will enjoy the pope's visit.

Pope to Enjoy Turkey This Week?

Pope Benedict XVI hopefully has packed his courage, along with the extra baggage of almost two centuries of crusades and his recent remarks regarding Islam's apparent tradition with wars and violence.

I'd like to back the Pope on this, really I would, but I'd be running scared with my tail between my legs. The Catholic Church does not have a pristine record on peace. We are just as guilty of instigating war and violence in our Maker's name. Sigh.

Pope Benedict certainly is showing that he has more balls than I would have imagined. The question does linger in my mind regarding his trip to Turkey: Will he take Istanbul by the horns and command them like a true matador? Indeed, this meeting will be a clash of religions. It will also possibly be the moment of truth when each side will show the world the true tenets of their religion.

It seems ironic that this meeting falls during the week Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on the story when the newly settled pilgrims "shared" a feast of the harvest with their new neighbors, the "Indians". Maybe this Thanksgiving will be a sharing of peace between Christians and Muslims around the world to embrace the peaceful love of our Maker.

Be Not Afraid!

Over this past Labor Day weekend, our church celebrated 150 years of Catholic faith in our community. They spoke of brave and courageous pioneers that came to America for a brighter future.

These ancestors endured many hardships that today we can hardly imagine. They traveled with their few belongings, with horse and oxen on roadless paths to get to this point they called "home." As settlers in this foreign place, they battled the harshness of the northern plains, the bitterly cold winters and the sporatically hot summers. They helped each other to build their communities to what they are today out of their own sweat and toil. And they built their communities here, in America, for the promise of freedom and prosperity that they did not find in their homeland. They truly lived by the phrase "be not afraid."

In reflection of our ancestors' brave conquest of a new world, my own courage drastically pales in such comparison. I look at our country, and even our world today, and it seems we have lost that brave courage that spurred our forefathers to sacrifice all to live in this great country.

It is those who devalue our courage and our bravery, who say you are less of a person for standing up for what is truly right, that strike such fear against our courage. It is those who subvert the American way by demoting the values of the Constitution that create our "fear factor" today.

The "fear factor" is what brought our ancestors here many, many years ago. The fear of economic disaster. The fear of living in a corrupt country. The fear of tyranny. Our ancestors came here, to the United States, because of a document that held more power than any person could ever legally obtain in this country. It is this document that safeguards our freedom. The United States is the envy of the world, not due to our previous industrial economic success, but because of this document, the Constitution.

I am sure many of you have amazing stories of your own ancestry coming to the United States seeking the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Such an elegant statement could ever be made was written in another document that started our country on the path to democracy. Those words "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinesss"--unalienable rights to the people, as the Declaration of Independence most eloquently declared. That is why people sacrificed all, for the promise of a better tomorrow.

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The preamble of the Constitution succinctly echoes those words from the Declaration of Independence, and places the undeniable importance of the people in this new country at the very beginning with "We the people..."

Be not afraid... Yes, be not afraid... As long as the Constitution of the United States continues to be defended and stands as a living document for we, the people... Be not afraid.

Prepare Ye The Way...

"Pre - - - pare Ye, The Way Of The Lord, Pre - - - pare Ye, The Way Of The Lord." PREPARE YOU, THE WAY OF THE LORD. FOR THE TIME IS NEAR WHEN OUR SAVIOR WILL DWELL AMONG US. Again.

40 Days of Preparation... Starting Now! Have a wonderfully introspective Ash Wednesday!!

Love: Controversial Subject in Catholic Church?

It may have come as a surprise to many: an ageing theologian known for his conservative stance on sex exploring a highly controversial subject for the Roman Catholic Church -- love.--Mail & Guardian Online

Huh? Whhhhaaat? For many Christians and Catholics, God is love. Nothing about that is controversial to those who know the true meaning of love.

With Pope Benedict the 16th's first official writing, he strives to define love, with the true meaning.

And then, he brings up two Greek (human) concepts of love "eros" (erotic form) and "agape" (spiritual and selfless form).

The pope also brings up "philia," Greek for the love of friendship in this encyclical.

Did Christianity "kill" eros? Nah, not necessarily. We still have that commandment to "be fruitful and multiply," and the Roman Catholics know that very well.

As the pope states, a disciplined and purified form of eros is a "foretaste of the pinnacle of our existence, of that beatitude of which our whole being yearns."

According to the Mail & Guardian article, the pope puts on his best moral polite jacket to say that eros without agape is a weak form of love, that both go hand in hand together.

What about agape without eros? All priests ordained in the Roman Catholic Church in all correct senses should only espouse agape love, and put to death any thought or action of eros love in their lives. Isn't having agape without eros, stifling to the eros love in priests? Thus, do priests have a weakened form of love? Hmmmm....

I think many Christians, both Catholic and protestant, are raised with a certain notion that sex is mysterious and virtually untouchable until marriage and is only practical in creating a new generation. In some way, shape or form, the encyclical reads that married Christians need to put the spiritual back into our love lives. Maybe married couples need to pray before sex (although some probably do that during the act), like praying before your meal.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty..." Hmmmm...

If you have ever checked out the Kama Sutra, they meditate before the act, so in some ways a prayer or spiritual meditation to focus the couple with the connection between eros and God would likely help to elevate ecstasy that could transport them to the gates of St. Peter. Maybe that's why Brian Adams sings about heaven so much?

Much of the pope's writing reminds me of a Jewish website I came across recently (while looking for low carb recipes, of all things). It described kosher Jewish sex, and the Jewish stance on sexuality.

Stop smiling... Hehe. I know I got a chuckle from those three words together, too (You don't have a silly grin, yet? Just think of what normally is kosher: salt, hot dogs, pickles... ok, ok, you sort of get it. Ok, so you are wondering how a rabbi could bless kosher sex? Me, too.).

This writing about kosher Jewish sex really made me appreciate the Jewish culture and how they cherish their traditions. It also made me wonder why the Roman Catholic Church didn't have much to say in a positive fashion about sex and spirituality, until now.

Thank you, Pope Benedict XVI! Now, when are you going to let priests be married and properly enjoy this eros gift from God, too?

We Are Fighting the Wrong War—Part II

We Are Fighting the Wrong War—Part II
(Or, How Much Farther Can I Push the Terrorism Button?)
Originally penned Friday, July 8, 2005

It is strictly in the most Islamic strategic sense that everything is happening during the Bush administration. Many from this Islamic faction have made great efforts to make a positive, trusting relationship with individuals active in the Bush administration. Again, this is no mistake that the Saudi royalty and the Bush family get along so well. Achieving a persuasive public friendship with politically influential families and people in key countries is just a part of their plan. This is about timing, political alignment, and social infiltration.

Their plans would not have been as successful during Clinton’s terms in the White House, nor would they have been in a possible Gore or Kerry Administration. It was in these Islamic world-dominators’ best interests that Bush win the presidential election both in 2000 and again in 2004. And, they will strive to keep the same people in power in the USA during the 2008 elections, too. (Don’t be surprised to see a 2008 Republican presidential ticket with Cheney-Bush on it. It’s very possible and very legal.)

These Islamic globetrotters are tops in spinning things (although not necessarily basketballs, but they will convert as many top basketball stars they can, too). Remember when the Denver Nuggets had a Muslim player who would not stand at attention for the US flag? That was not just an incident with that one player, no it was an act by the Muslim community needed to set a precedence to weaken the symbols of what the US and many Western nations prize, and to make it acceptable in their own culture. They didn’t have to spin the Constitution to achieve this, since the Constitution is all about freedom and the courts saw that, too. The issue with the player refusing to stand at attention for the flag has to do with respect.

It is this dwindling respect for each other in the US that now when we see an act of violence against our fellow man, we tend to walk away instead of helping. We pretend that these acts don’t happen, or shall I say we have grown immune or become blatantly and sometimes subconsciously ignorant. Pope John Paul II during his lifetime started a campaign of “random acts of kindness” because he was well aware of the problem. However, it is now just another catch phrase that gets tossed around when some politician wants to talk about good feelings and self-purification.

The Islamic faith of these globetrotters is all about disproportionate respect, respect that swings to the extreme poles. It’s about creating a caste system again in the civilized world. Pitting the haves against the have-nots. It’s happening right now in the US. The domestic policy that Bush has devised, who claims tax breaks for all, gives the big breaks only to ones that have the highest incomes. Revamping Social Security will only benefit those with enough money to be able to manage and cover the risk of losing everything on the stock market. Bush has spun the “estate tax” into the “death tax” to make everyday Americans think it affects them, but little do they know it is only a tax break for those who stand to inherit well over $6 million. (Bob’s Barbershop or the corner bakery is likely not worth that much, and it would take a huge farm operation to amount to that. If that business is making enough to be worth that much, then the business will be able to cover the tax.)

Walmart is also helping these Islamic globetrotters, too. Walmart is effective in lowering people’s standard of value, and in return devalue not only the merchandise, but exponentially devalue each and every person that is employed by Walmart, each person employed in manufacturing the merchandise, and even devalues each and every person that shops at Walmart. It is almost too dizzying to even totally comprehend the many ways Walmart plays into the hands of these Islamic ideals.

Sure it was our collective tolerance (that these Islamic globetrotters could live among us) all along that lead us, the Western World, into the predicament that we are in now. We tolerated unjust activities against other peoples by our governments. We tolerated the deterioration of our own societal foundations and the breakdown of community relationships.

The only way we will win this war is true civil justice. We need to be aware of what’s going on around us, and tell the proper person(s) if something looks amiss, without undue retribution. We need to be able and willing to speak up for injustice when we see it, and assist those that need our help. We need to uphold the inalienable rights and freedoms of all people, not just in the USA either, least we step, er trample on the rights of others to get our own way. We must hold firm on our country’s foundation and not waiver from that for any reason, lest we weaken the foundation. We must hold firm to God’s foundation of love and charity, from which all our just, moral, and spiritual senses spring.

It is no mistake that Jesus is a major figure in both Islamic and Christian religions. The teachings of Jesus in both camps have just become so twisted and so ignored that we all have fallen away from the charity and love that God (Allah) is all about. That is why we are reeling from the repercussions of our failings.

There are people who seek peace, as Jesus strove for peace and justice.

And, there are others who seek selfish peace (or powermongering), without regard for their fellow man (or woman), that also claim to be Muslim or Christian. You’ll hear them claim peace for their friends over the good of humanity, and kill out of selfishness. They want the world to bow to their whims, not to the will of God (Allah).

Value of Life

Originally penned Friday, June 10, 2005

It seems like the new catch-phrase in political and religious areas seems to be the “culture of life,” especially in the Republican Party and what is termed ‘Christian right’ groups. Current events like the Terry Shiavo case and pro-life stance on abortion rights seem to echo this view of the culture of life. Or maybe they are serving as a camoflauge for the Republican Party’s true ideology behind their front of the culture of life.


Where did the thought of the culture of life originate? Actually, it was Pope John Paul II’s idea. Pope JP II had developed his campaign of the culture of life, reflecting the value of life Jesus gives to all people.

I think the primary push for me to begin blogging is the growing rate of so-called pro-lifers doing anti-life activities. As a Catholic voter, I have a very difficult time voting because neither the Republican nor the Democratic Party truly support all pro-life policies from pre-birth to death. The Republicans seem to support that some lives are way more important than others, especially those with more money or clout. The Democrats, claiming to be pro-choice, has been tagged at anti-life proponents by the opposition because they want to keep abortions legal.

There are a variety of government policies and laws that contradict the culture of life. The main policy currently in place now is the pre-emptive strike against Iraq and the war that has shattered many lives in that country and the soldiers that have lost their lives for a moot cause. This war is not saving any lives and is in fact putting more lives in jeopardy as these people show their animosity toward the US and this unjust war the US declared on their people. These citizens of Iraq did nothing wrong, yet, they are being punished by this war for the apparent actions of their leader Sadam Hussein for hiding WMDs, his mass killings of his own people, and other atrocities. Since the Bush regime did not find these WMDs, they have taken on the theory that this war is a humanitarian war.

What war is ever a humanitarian war? Wars do not usually hurt those in power, it hurts those (many of them innocent of whatever reason the war is being waged) that have to fight it and be in the thick of it. But wars are declared and fought precisely because of the dictates of a leader. In this war, however, the US did something that Geneva Convention does not condone, they took out the leader, too. Sadam Hussein is now out of power and who knows what’s up with that now.

Now, Iraq is in a state of chaos because not only are they rising up against their US-imposed military state, they are battling for their views of what is right for them, with Sunni, Shia, and Kurds each thinking that they ought to lead the country.

In the Bible, Jesus says that what you do to the least of these, you do for me. If the Republican policy to decrease the funding for title 19 and limit Medicaid coverage says anything, it’ll have the least of these (er, Jesus) sick and dying without any way to pay for the expenses of getting them better. That’s ok because the Republicans are also the big anti-drug pushers, so these sick people will have no way to die painlessly. Maybe this is just the way, since Paul was such a big advocate of suffering in the New Testament. Hmmm, if that’s the case, then why aren’t all these Christian-right people wanting to suffer, too?